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Introduction

The Lost Art Database contains data on cultural objects which as a result of Nazi persecution or the direct consequences of the Second World War were removed and relocated, stored or seized from their owners, particularly Jews, or on cultural objects where, because of gaps in their provenance, such a story of loss cannot be ruled out as a possibility. In matter of found-objects a distinction in lost cultural assets as a result of the Second World War or National Socialist persecution isn’t possible, because of the difficulty to separate in both categories. The owner normally didn’t know anything about the provenance of the objects they have often inherited resp. they hardly can class them with historical processes.

The database is divided into two areas:

1. Search Requests

It is possible here to register cultural objects lost by public institutions or private individuals and institutions as a result of National Socialist rule and the Second World War, requesting a world-wide search via the Lost Art Internet Database. Owners or custodians of cultural objects with an uncertain or incomplete provenance can search here whether these objects have been sought elsewhere.

2. Found-Object Reports

It is possible here to register cultural objects where it is known that they were taken illegally from their owners or relocated to another place as a result of the war. The section also contains reports on cultural items with an uncertain or incomplete provenance, suggesting the possibility of illegal dispossession or a removal and relocation due to the war. Institutions and individuals who have suffered such a loss can search whether the cultural objects they are looking for are contained in the list of found objects.

Publication of found reports in the Lost Art Internet Database takes place on the initiative and with the full agreement of the individuals and institutions filing a report (see Disclaimer / Copyright).

Basics

Reporting objects

The German Lost Art Foundation accepts search reports and found reports from private individuals and institutions for cultural assets that were removed, relocated or confiscated, particularly from Jewish owners, as a result of the National Socialist regime or the Second World War, or for which a history of loss cannot be ruled out due to gaps in provenance.